Chapter 27 – I Will Find A Way

August 1, 2007 1:45 PM

Buffy began to unload the dishwasher as Dawn made herself a drink. Faith was already at the table waiting for the other two women to join her.

“So, Janice has been invited to a meeting of the Soldiers?” Buffy asked as she stacked plates in the cabinet.

“Yeah, Saturday night, they are all going to meet at this guy, Ralph’s house. He approached her and told her that she seemed to have that extra edge about being human and wanted to know if she wanted to help them out with some projects.” Dawn explained as she joined Faith at the table.

“Is Max’s co-worker going to go with her?” Buffy turned to look at Dawn as she checked on Janice’s safety before turning to start putting glasses away.

“Yeah, his name is Bobby, and he and Janice have been acting like a couple so he got invited too.”

“Good, so maybe we can get some more names and faces to link with the Soldiers.” Faith piped in. She had been filled in on everything that had been going on and was eagerly helping them with tracking down the men they were looking for.

“I hope so. If we could at least get the men that murdered the children’s parents and ransacked the house, I think we’ll put a serious dent in their operations,” Buffy commented. “Does Max know of the latest developments?”

“Bobby was going to meet with his superiors today, so I assume Max will be told,” Dawn responded.

“Is Janice dealing with all this, okay?” Buffy turned around with a worried expression on her face. Janice hadn’t really been involved with a lot of their fights and she wasn’t sure how a ‘civilian’ would handle this job she had undertaken.

“She’s fine. Actually, she says she is having fun and is considering becoming a cop now.” Dawn smiled at her sister. Her friend had taken to the undercover work so well that was all she was talking about these days.

Buffy turned back around and continued to put glasses away in the cabinet. As she reached for the back of the cabinet her crop top slid up her back revealing several large bruises. Dawn’s eyes widened at the markings on her sister and stood so she could come closer to examine them. Buffy jumped at the feeling of someone lifting her shirt.

“Who did this to you?” Dawn asked suspiciously. She had already come to a conclusion but she wanted Buffy to confirm it.

“It’s nothing, Dawn. I’m a Slayer, remember? Bruises and stuff come with the package.” Buffy pulled away so that she was facing her younger sibling.

“And the handprint? You have a handprint in the middle of your back. Was it Spike? Did he do this to you?”

“I told you, it was nothing. So, drop it.” Buffy stiffened as Dawn’s supposed questions of concern became more ones of accusations.

“I can’t believe you, Buffy. Spike’s little games have gone a little too far, haven’t they? Has he just moved right into beating you?” Dawn’s was livid that her sister was just accepting of what her husband was doing to her. It had to be him because Buffy wasn’t giving any other explanation.

“You are pushing it. Spike would never deliberately hurt me and like I said bruises are part of the Slayer package.”

“So, the bruises were an accident? He didn’t mean to do it.” Dawn spat the words out as she looked to Faith for help to back her up. Faith shrugged her shoulders because she knew that it wasn’t her business to interfere and only would if Buffy asked her to.

“Why are you so convinced that Spike is hurting me?” Buffy’s eyes narrowed to a slit. This was too much for her to believe. Dawn was accusing Spike, the one she had always adored, of beating her. It was just inconceivable that Dawn would be so easy to blame Spike instead of finding out the truth.

“Fine, defend him,” Dawn hurried over to grab her purse before heading for the back door. “I’ll let you know what happens with Janice.” The door slammed behind the former key as she left her sister’s house.

“Why didn’t you tell her the truth?” Faith asked quietly as she watched Buffy work through the rage that was consuming her.

Buffy turned to look at her friend as she breathed deeply in an effort to calm herself. “She didn’t seem to want to listen. I don’t think she would have accepted that, yeah, it is Spike’s handprint but he thought he was hitting a demon in the confusion of the fight.”

“I would have backed you up if you wanted. Told her that Spike just about freaked when he realized what he had done.”

Buffy shook her head slowly, “She seemed determined to find a way to blame him.” She gave a small derisive laugh, “I think she’s been watching Lifetime a little too much. I’ll call her later and talk to her when she has calmed down.”

With that decided Buffy turned to continue to unload the dishes as Faith stood to help her.

August 1, 2007 5:40 PM

The pile of bills that needed to be paid never seemed to go away and since Raven and Elijah had arrived they had just seemed to grow. The refurnishing of the house had also put a serious dent in the liquid cash supply. Spike sighed as he slit open the cell phone bill waiting to see what total the family had racked up this month. It didn’t seem to be too bad but as he turned to put it with the others, one detailed report on a phone caught his eye. There were almost daily, sometimes twice daily, phone calls to the Hyperion on it. Having everyone on speed dial, Spike had never taken the time to memorize everyone’s phone numbers but knew that Buffy would know. Snatching the bill up he headed toward the kitchen where she and Raven were starting on dinner.

“Buffy,” he called as he headed down the hallway. Raven was laughing and saying that the whole thing was disgusting as he halted just inside the doorway.

“What, Baby?” Buffy looked up at him as her hands continued to mix together the ingredients for tonight’s meatloaf.

“Whose cell phone is 555-1777?”

“It’s mine, why?” Raven answered. Her voice was quiet as she answered him. Neither of them had given her any restrictions on the phone and wasn’t sure what she had done but Spike looked upset about something.

At Spike’s tone and Raven’s quiet demeanor, Buffy started to wipe her hands clean.

“Why have you been calling the Hyperion?”

Raven’s face turned white as she realized that Spike knew everyone she called on her phone. Then the defiance kicked in. If he didn’t want her calling someone, he should have told her.

“To talk to someone.”

“No sh.., who?” Spike stopped in the middle of his comment to amend his words. Elijah had been picking up on everything lately and he had tried to stop cursing before the little boy could swear like a sailor.

“Connor.” Raven’s hands rose to her hips as her chin came up.

“Why?’

Buffy couldn’t help but laugh when Spike asked that. If he couldn’t figure that much out, he was going to have a hell of time over the next few years with his daughter. But the laughter immediately stopped when Spike flashed an angry ‘aren’t you on my side?’ look.

“Because I like him, duh!” Raven answered him with some amusement creeping into her eyes also. But that amusement died when Spike growled. He actually growled about her liking Connor. She took a step back away from him not sure what he was going to do. Spike in demon face was something she was becoming comfortable with but the demon directed at her was something new altogether.

“He is too old for you. Don’t call him or talk to him again.” Spike pronounced and turned to head back to his study.

“That’s it. You just tell me not to talk to him and it’s supposed to be settled. I’ll talk to him if I want to. I don’t care what you say.” Raven screamed at his retreating back.

Spike stiffened as he slowly turned back to face her. A quick glance at Buffy showed her sympathy for him but she was clearly trying to let him handle this.

“You will not talk to him. You are fourteen years old. He is twenty-one. If you don’t stop talking to him, I’ll go to him and Angel and settle it myself.”

“I’ll be fifteen next month. And you don’t know anything. Anything at all.” Raven was screaming as her eyes began to glow. She hated that Spike was just calmly deciding her life and she didn’t know how to talk to him. Sometimes he was just cold and unreachable. Digging deep she pulled her trump card out knowing that if nothing else it would get a reaction from him. “Besides what difference does it make, it’s not like I’m even a virgin anymore.”

Buffy closed her eyes because she knew the next few minutes would decide the relationship that Spike and Raven would have for the duration. Raven had told her about her excursion into sex after she had found condoms in her room the day they were cleaning up. With determination to see the two of them through this Buffy opened her eyes and came to stand next to them.

After hearing her words, Spike had vamped out and growled again. This time deep and threatening, his hands clenching and unclenching in frustration at not being able to reach the man or boy who had touched his little girl. Pain seared through his chest as a distant memory flickered briefly in his mind and knew that if Connor had even so much as hugged her, he would rip him in half.

Raven backed up another step as she came face to face with the demon. His yellow eyes stared at her in rage and pain and she wished she had kept her mouth shut and talked to Buffy about it. But she refused to let him know she was intimidated.

“What are you going to bite me or something?”

Unable to control his rampaging emotions, Spike started to turn again but found Buffy blocking his way.

“No, do not walk away.” She whispered to him even though she knew that Raven could still hear her. “If you walk away, you tell her you don’t care. Even if you mess up or fumble this, you stay and you talk to her. Everything is okay as long as you try. I’ll be here to help you.”

“You knew? You knew and you didn’t tell me.” Spike stared at her in bewilderment that Buffy was keeping things from him.

“Yes, I knew. She asked me not to tell you and as long as the issue was mute, I let it lie. When she started dating then I would have had her tell you, so we could make decisions together.” Buffy stroked his face in an effort to calm him. He nodded at her words knowing she was telling him the truth.

It took him a couple of moments of unnecessary breathing and concentrating before he could relax back into human guise. Once he did, he turned back to face his daughter, pain ripped through him again at the tears that were falling across her cheeks.

“I would never bite you, Raven. Even if I could, I would never hurt you.”

She nodded slightly as she wrapped her arms around herself. Pain was all she saw in his eyes and it hurt her to know that she had caused it.

“Tell her what you are feeling.” Buffy quietly instructed.

“I hurt.” He sighed as he looked at her. “You’re so young, Raven. When I look at you, I still see a little girl. But your body, it may…it may have everything that says you’re a woman but you’re not. It’s still too young for that. And the emotions, sex can change everything. And if you aren’t both at the same place and you’re the one left behind, it can almost kill you inside.”

It was as honest as he could be and he hoped it was enough. A part of him wanted to weep for the childhood she had left behind somewhere and a part of him was relieved that she seemed to have handled it responsibly.

“Your turn, Raven. Tell him the truth.” Buffy looked at her daughter knowing that the truth would alleviate a lot of Spike’s concerns.

Raven nodded as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. It was going to be humiliating to tell him what had really happened after what she had put him through.

“I’ve only done it once. Sean is a friend of mine, kind of like Willow and Xander friends. He lives in the Lankasha village and I’d see him all the time when we would visit. It was last Christmas break and we were hiking. We got to talking about sex and stuff and we were curious. So, we did it just to find out what it was like. I don’t even think we did it right.”

Spike almost cracked a smile at her last sentence but managed to suppress by covering it with another sigh.

“That was it? Just the once?”

Raven nodded her head, “Yeah that was it. I told my mom and she gave me a huge lecture and bought me condoms, just in case. But no, we never did it again. Sean is more of a friend and we just don’t feel that way about each other.” Then her mind switched to the one she did feel that way about. She didn’t realize it but as she started to think about Connor her expression changed to one of dreamy infatuation which Buffy and Spike both picked up on.

“Still no Connor. He is too old.” Spike told her but this time he stayed to get a response from her.

Raven’s expression changed again and another tear wound down her face as she looked away from Spike. “Connor treats me like an annoying little sister. He’s dating some twenty-three old blonde with a mustang, like I could compete with that. I talk to him like I do Dawn, even more so because he’s not involved with everything here and he listens.”

“It’s just talking?”

Raven nodded knowing now that her friendship wouldn’t get taken away. And if they were friends then she still had a chance to show Connor that she was the only one for him but Spike didn’t need to know that. A quick glance at Buffy, who was rolling her eyes and she knew that Buffy understood but that she would tolerate it for now. In two steps she was in Spike’s arms whispering, “Thank you”, over and over to him.

August 1, 2007 11:45 PM

The blender whirred enticingly as it mixed the anticipated Margaritas together. The radio played some oldies from the ‘80’s in the background while Buffy was pulling chips out of the cabinet so they could be dumped into bowls. The kids were asleep, Spike had gone patrolling and Clem was upstairs in the attic which left her and Faith to do some relaxing and girl bonding together.

Humming along to Cyndi Lauper’s “She Bop” Buffy pulled the homemade Pico sauce from the refrigerator to put on the tray that would carry everything into the living room. Ever since Spike and she had discussed everything, Buffy had found herself relaxing more and taking a lot of things less seriously. Somewhere along the lines she had found herself becoming more stodgy and older acting than she liked. Her clothes had become less fun and more functional, but after the date to The Edge she had started to dress more like she had used to. Tonight she was wearing a pair of black slacks with the waist rolled down in the present style with a frilly pink top. Her feet though were bare since her toenails were still drying.

“Ready?” Faith asked holding the pitcher up. She grabbed the two glasses and headed for the living room with Buffy right behind her.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Buffy commented as she put the tray on the table and sat back on the couch.

Faith sat next to her and poured them each a drink. After handing Buffy one, she settled back into the opposite end of the couch.

“I never thought I would ever hear you say that.”

“Things just got out of control for all of us.” Buffy told her. “I wish things had been different.”

“Yeah, and you know what they say, if we didn’t go through what we did, then we wouldn’t be where we are.”

“That sounds like an Angel.”

“It is.”

The two women laughed as they thought of the vampire that always seemed to be between them but this time in a good way.

“Did you love him?” Buffy asked quietly. It didn’t matter anymore but it was something that she had always wondered about.

“Angel? No, I came to care for him a great deal but love, no.” Faith shook her head to emphasize her answer as she noted the relief that drifted across Buffy’s face.

“It was always about you, Buffy. They all loved you and I hated you for it.”

“And now?”

Faith smiled at the insecure undertone that had crept into Buffy’s words.

“And now, do they still love you or do I hate you?”

“Both, I think.” Buffy grinned at the brunette over her glass of Margarita enjoying the sour tang as it moved over her tongue.

“Come on, this conversation is going to get even better,” Faith encouraged as Buffy drained her glass. She held the pitcher out and refilled both their glasses before answering her question. “We all love you, me included, even if you are a whiny, skinny little blond who doesn’t know how to have fun.”

“I do too know how to have fun. There are some stories I could tell you about what Spike and I have done.” Buffy defended herself. “Like the time we….oh no, you almost got me. But I am not going to kiss and tell. Spike would kill me.”

Faith threw her head back as she laughed at Buffy. A few more glasses and she would know everything about exactly what had gotten the other Slayer to lighten up and the man who had accomplished it. She was curious as to what had gotten Buffy to this stage in her life and how she had come to be so devoted to another vampire. The changes were remarkable and maybe there was still hope for her to finish changing and finding someone who could be so drawn to her.

“I’m glad that you didn’t stay with Riley. He should have known it wasn’t you that night.” Faith said almost to herself. It had always bothered her that Buffy’s boyfriend hadn’t known it wasn’t her he was making love to. “Spike would have known if he had been your boyfriend then.”

“Yeah, he would have.” Buffy agreed with a smile. Spike would have known, the way her eyes looked as she succumbed to the attraction between them, the way she touched him and the sighs and moans as he touched her it was all things that would tell him if it was her or not.

“Did he ever tell you what I did to him?” Faith asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

“I never knew you met Spike.”

“Yeah, it was when we had switched bodies. I ran into him in the Bronze, and well, I teased him. Told him I had muscles he had never dreamed about and that I could ride him until he popped like warm champagne. And he thought it was you.” Faith giggled.

For a second Buffy looked angry then she dissolved into giggles too. It was then she realized that Spike was standing in the doorway and had heard the last part of the conversation. He looked embarrassed as he looked at the two women. Buffy stood and hurried over to him drawing him further into the room.

“Oh, my god. All this time I wondered where you got that phrase from.” Buffy turned back to Faith, “Every once in a while he’ll tell me to pop him like warm champagne and I had no idea it was you.” Buffy wiped away the tears that were streaming down her face from the laughter that still shook her small frame.

“Yeah, it’s really funny.” Spike turned to walk away from them before they insulted him anymore.

“Come on, Spike, its funny.” Buffy sobered up as she realized that he was really upset with her. “What’s even funnier is that I have been so worried about you two sleeping together and Faith has been in bed with us this whole time.”

The last part had just slipped out. It didn’t seem to matter if it did because everyone knew that it was on the back of her mind. It was on all their minds. It’s just that none of them would say it. Faith used to always go after her men, Spike had wanderlust and she was worried that he would actually do it and with Faith in the house, it was always there somewhere in her mind.

Spike gave one last look at Buffy before turning and walking out of the room. He had known she was worried about it but her saying it like that, so casually, made it seem ugly and coarse. It made her seem petty and small and it made him look like he couldn’t control himself. God only knew what it made Faith feel like.

“Well, you blew that one, B,” Faith observed.

Buffy continued to look in the direction that Spike had gone feeling the guilt building in her. “I know I did. It’s just…”

“It’s just that you can’t let it go.” Faith finished for her. Then when Buffy turned to look at her she continued, “You say you forgive him but we all know you haven’t let go of it. It’s like you’re just waiting for him to mess up again so you can point a self-righteous finger at him and say you knew it. He adores you and yeah, he messed up, but he is trying to make it right and he never will be able to unless you give him the room to do it.”

Buffy gave one last look at Faith before turning to follow her husband. It seemed that now it was her turn to be humble and beg forgiveness.

“Well, gee, there just went girl’s night.” Faith muttered while putting the pitcher and glasses on the tray with the untouched chips. Then spotting the two new DVDs on the table she got an idea and threw them on the tray too. Picking the tray up she headed for the attic. Getting there was easy, getting through the door was another problem, Faith quietly tried to kick the door to get Clem to answer it but apparently he didn’t hear it. She kicked a little harder trying to get his attention and still no response. Just as she about to really kick it, the door opened with Clem staring at her.

“Hey, want some company? I come bearing chips and dips, and quickly melting Margaritas and some movies.”

It took a moment for it to fully register with Clem that Faith was actually standing there asking to come into his place. After shaking his head in an effort to clear it, he realized that she actually was there. Standing aside he gestured for her to come in, then manners kicked in and he took the tray from her.

“Would you like to take a seat?” He nervously asked as he put the tray down on the crates that served as a coffee table. The demon watched as the petite Slayer settled on the end of his couch. “What happened to girl bonding time?”

“Buffy inserted foot into mouth and is now talking to Spike.”

“Those two have issues.” Clem shook his head as he sat on the other end of the couch forgoing his usual spot in the recliner.

“Have they always been like this?” Faith asked as she leaned over to scoop some Pico sauce on a chip.

“No, it’s just been in the last few months, ever since they started trying to have a baby. I guess the stress of trying took off the rose covered glasses of their relationship.”

“I didn’t get new drinking glasses so unless you have one; you are going to have to drink after Buffy.” Faith handed the almost full glass to Clem who accepted it without comment. “Well, at least they keep talking and trying.”

“If they would quit fighting over all the little bullshit, then they might just realize they are bonded as much as they ever have been. Those two are super glued together and no matter how much they try to run, they will always come back to one another.”

“It must be nice to have someone like that in your life.” Faith sighed as leaned back against the couch again.

“I’m surprised that you came up here to hang out.” Clem said trying to steer the conversation to them. Every since she had come to live in the house he had been trying to find a way to spend some time alone with her. The woman, with her mischievous ways and laughter, had worked her way into his heart. He knew he didn’t stand a chance with a human but he could still enjoy being with her.

“Honestly in the old days, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought to kill you because you’re a demon. Things change. I like you. You’re a good…person.” Faith finished hoping she hadn’t insulted him by calling him a person.

“Thanks, I think,” Clem laughed. “Before Spike and I became friends, I never hung out with humans. Thought they were all out to get demons and wouldn’t be accepting of us but I got surprised when I met Buffy and the others.”

“Doesn’t it ever bother you that you can’t go into just any store or restaurant because of who you are? Even when we went through McDonald’s that day you slinked down in the seat and looked the other way.”

Clem put his glass back down on the crate before answering. “Sometimes it would be more convenient to be able to do that but I know I’m not welcome. So, I stick to my own kind. It’s hard sometimes to even do that. They know that I live here and are friends with humans. It’s like Spike. He has a hard time going back to that side of town because they all consider him a traitor to the demons. Killing them and stuff. He’s become too humanized to ever fully be accepted in our world again. When they found out that I had moved into the house, they tried to use it as an excuse to tell me that Buffy and Spike consider me lower than them because they put me in the attic. But I know they did it because I would have more room up here than downstairs. I could have my privacy but the demons don’t see it that way. They see it as hiding away the demon, unable to acknowledge him as a friend.”

“But you don’t doubt their friendship? At all, do you?”

“Nah, I stopped doubting it almost four years ago. We were in this battle with this giant demon intent on stomping out Sunnydale and I got caught in a falling building. The others didn’t think I would be found alive. When they had defeated it and I crawled out from under this wall, Buffy threw herself at me, crying her eyes out telling me how happy she was I was alive and even Spike had a few tears for me. Since then I know that I am a part of them. A part of this family. Wouldn’t trade it for anything now. Maybe one day, we won’t be judged just because we are demon but on whether we are good persons or not.” Clem used Faith’s terminology to tease her and was pleased when she smiled at it.

“Well, I’ll tell you what, Clem, when that day comes we will go out together to the best restaurant we can found. Okay?” Faith reached over and patted his arm.

“Sounds good to me,” Clem grinned. Excitement filled him at the thought that she would even casually mention that one day she would go out with him.

“Okay, so now for the movie, Julia or Sandra?” Faith asked holding up the DVDs.

“Julia, definitely.”

August 2, 2007 12:25 AM

Spike was standing in his old crypt with one hand pressed against the wall and his head bowed. His eyes were closed as the memories swelled his heart with even more emotions than he was already feeling.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Buffy’s voice was soft behind him. Her heartbeat was picking up as she waited for a response from him. It would be so easy to accept her apology and just forget but he would be lying if he let it go.

“It was right here, Baby.”

“What was?”

“You don’t remember? It was here in this spot that I was inside of you for the first time. All that heat burning me alive. You said it was just sex but to me it was everything.” He turned to look at her for a moment noting the tears that filled her emerald eyes. They were the eyes that were a mirror for his soul when he didn’t even have one. “It was here that I actually felt hope that one day you would be mine. It was here that I first vowed that I would never hurt you or let you down if you would only love me.”

“I remember. I remember that it was everything to me, too. I was too scared to let you know how much.”

“I fucked up. I know I hurt you and I’m sorry.” Spike laughed softly as a thought came to him. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t good enough to hold onto your love.”

“Don’t. I still love you. I will always love you.”

“But it will never be the way it used to be. Never the way it used to be when you thought I was everything.” He turned away from the wall to face her. “Now, that you understand how weak I truly am, you will never love me the same.”

“You are everything, Spike.”

He walked closer to you to cup her face, his thumb brushing across her cheek.

“No, I’m not, pet. You know that I am fallible, that I am no better than the other men you have loved, and now you also realize that you can live without me. You will never love me the way you did in the beginning.”

“Do you really want me that dependent and blind?” Buffy questioned softly knowing that she couldn’t argue with him. Her love for him had changed. It had to change in order to survive, for her to survive, and for him to survive too.

“No, but it makes me wonder if you would love me at all if you knew the truth of who I am.” His hands dropped to his side as he sighed and looked over her shoulder. “I called Dawn today and she won’t even talk to me. She said that I wasn’t going to get away with it and hung up on me. I’ve already lost her. Would I lose you too if you knew the monster I was and could be?”

“No, Spike. I am your wife, for now and for always.” Buffy tried to reassure him as her hands went to clutch at his waist. “I don’t know what is up with Dawn. I need to talk to her. But she’ll come around.”

His hands moved to pull her close to him. “I’ll find a way to prove to you that I am yours. That I am worthy of your forgiveness, Buffy, because you are everything that I want in this world.”

“You already have my forgiveness. I need to learn to let the past go.” Buffy snuggled closer to him. “All I want is you. Let’s go upstairs so I can show you how much.” Her hands began to move across him as he quickly calculated the dates. With disappointment he kissed the top of her head, she would be ovulating in just a few days and sex wasn’t something they could have tonight.

“All I want tonight is to hold you and talk. Is that okay?”

Buffy pulled away so she could look at him. Already her decision to let go was being put to the test but she quickly pushed the doubts away. There had to be a logical explanation for him to turn down sex and she decided to be okay with this.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Buffy reached up to kiss him softly while her hand sought his. Then hand in hand they returned to the house.

TBC

Chapter 28 – Take My Breath Away

August 4, 2007 11:49 AM

Buffy knocked hesitantly on the door thinking that it was ironic that now she knocked politely on the door of the house she had once lived in with her mom and Dawn but the house now belonged to Giles and Kate and she owed them that respect. While she waited for an answer she glanced back at the cars that were parked in the driveway and in the street immediately in front of the house. When Dawn had told her that Kate wanted them over for lunch she had said that it was going to be just the three of them but it appeared that the whole family might be there.

“Hi, Buffy, come on in,” Kate smiled at her as she held the door open for the woman who had become like a daughter to her.

“Hello, Kate,” Buffy returned the smile and stepped into the house. Her footsteps moved her to the entrance of the living room so she could see who was there. Anya and Xander sat on the couch, while Willow and Tara sat on the love seat. Josh was sitting cross legged on the floor while Dawn stood next to the fire place. Finally Giles sat in his recliner where Kate was now settling herself on the arm next to him. Knowing she had been set up but not sure why she turned to her sister, the most likely culprit of it, “What’s going on, Dawn? I thought this was going to be a quiet lunch for us to talk things over.”

“It is for us to talk things over but I thought that having everyone here, it would easier for you to see reason.”

“What is it with you people? How many interventions do you think I need in one lifetime?” Buffy gave angry glances at her friends before turning to leave.

“Buffy, we don’t know what’s going on. Dawn just called us here too.” Xander called out to her before she could get too far.

Slowly, Buffy walked back into the room, ignoring the invitations to sit, she came to stand so that she was facing her sister with everyone else in the room between them.

“So, Dawnie, why don’t you enlighten everyone, me included as to why you have all of us here on a Saturday morning instead of at home with our families?” Buffy asked.

Dawn closed her eyes for a moment against the wave of Buffy’s anger because she knew the truth even if Buffy didn’t. Ever since Buffy had wanted to have a baby, Spike was becoming more demon like, and the things he had told her about him being in control, wanting other women, the games they played and now the beating were all evidence of it. Angel agreed with her that if something wasn’t done that Spike could completely lose control and Buffy could be seriously hurt or killed. Spike wasn’t listening to anyone, especially to Angel who knew exactly what his struggles were, so the only one left to try to reach before it was too late was Buffy.

“Buffy, I love you and I don’t want to see you hurt anymore.” Dawn looked quickly around at the others, “I don’t know if you all of you know about the bondage sex they have started to have.”

“Everyone knows,” Buffy interrupted her. Then when no one responded she prompted, “Don’t you?”

“Buffy, of course we know, you came to us for the spell for your room,” Tara answered for herself and Willow.

“Spike told me and Anya and she was the one who gave him the web site addresses to get some of the toys.” Xander responded. “So, we know.”

“And I know because I am her medical doctor. She came to me asking questions about the risks of some of these things.” Kate answered.

“And unfortunately, I know and really don’t want to.” Giles said while rubbing his forehead. “What is your point, Dawn? If it’s about their sexual exploration, I think it is already out of the bag. Quite out of the bag actually. Buffy is even going back to Sara to make sure everything is okay. They are open and responsible about the choices they are making so I don’t see any harm in it.”

“What about the fact that he is now beating her?” Dawn smugly said. They might dismiss the games as harmless but they couldn’t deny the bruises on her back.

“And I told you that bruises were part of the Slayer package, Dawn. Damn it you know that,” Buffy exclaimed turning around as she pulled her shirt up so the others could see the fading bruises on her back. “The other night patrolling,” Buffy pulled her shirt back down and turned to face the others again, “I ran into a gang of demons. There were a lot of them and they were about ready to let loose on a neighborhood so I called for Faith and Spike to join me. It was a horrible fight and we were outnumbered three to one. I got kicked around quite a bit, as we all did. Spike was turning to push one of the demons down when the demon I was fighting flipped me and Spike ended up swatting me instead of the demon he was aiming for. Yes, it is his handprint but it was an accident that happened in the middle of a really confusing fight.”

“There was a gang of demons in Sunnydale?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, there has been a real increase of activity in the last couple of weeks. Unusual migration too. We ran into a family whose car had broken down. They started to beg us not to hurt them but relaxed when Spike got the car started for them and then directed them to the side of town that would welcome them.”

“I wonder if it has anything to do with the Soldiers,” Giles pondered.

“I can talk to some of my old contacts and see if they have heard anything,” Anya volunteered.

“Excuse me; can we get back to the point of why we are here?” Dawn interjected.

“Dawn, I don’t think there is anything else left to say. Spike and Buffy are fine, just going through a rough spot like any other married couple does at some point. I think if there was something wrong Buffy would tell us.” Giles said.

“Fine, no one wants to listen to Dawn. You all still treat me like a child. But when Spike loses the fight to his demon half and kills her, I don’t want to hear a word.” Dawn announced before heading for the door. Josh stood, smiled apologetically at everyone and shrugged his shoulders before following his wife out the door.

Buffy worn out by the emotional onslaught of Dawn sunk down on the ottoman. “I don’t understand what is going on with her. I know Spike hurt her too when he…when he strayed but it’s like she is out to get him or something.”

Giles leaned forward to take Buffy’s hands in his. “Buffy, he has always been the one that was perfect in her eyes. You failed her, I was the enemy because I took her away from you, everyone else was going through their own problems that year and weren’t as involved as she needed. Spike came riding back into town and in her eyes saved everyone. She was still young and saw him as the hero in it all. Now, for the first time he has stepped off that pedestal and she is having a hard time with it. She wants to blame an entity, the demon, which is an integral part of Spike but she sees them as separate beings and the one being is taking away the person in her world that has never failed her until now.”

“But she is really hurting him. He thinks he has lost her. Do you think they need to talk?”

“I honestly don’t think it would help. I think time is the only thing that is going to mend this. Keep her as involved in the family as possible. Let her see that he is trying to put things right. Love will see her through this eventually.”

The talk returned to the increased demon activity and Anya promised that she would start tracking down what she could that day. Buffy said that she would call Max to find out if he knew anything. With promises of getting in touch later that day to discuss results the family broke up and went their separate ways for the afternoon.

August 4, 2007 10:15 PM

Spike was pouring soap into the dishwasher when the phone rang. Quickly closing the soap container, he reached for the phone with the other hand.

“Hello,” he answered distractedly while locking the machine and turning it on.

“Is Buffy there?” Dawn asked impatiently.

“No, Dawn, she and Faith are out patrolling. Is there anything I can help you with?”

There was a loud sigh on the other side of the line and some mumbled whisperings. Then Dawn was back on the line, “Spike, you need to go find them. Janice and Bobby were found out tonight. The invite was a trap and they barely got out alive. They just called and they said…and they said that they overheard one of the guys at the house say that they were going to make sure that the Slayer bitch died. Find her for me, please.” There was the little girl that was in so many ways still Dawn pleading with him to be her hero again.

“I will. Call everyone. Let them know.” Then Spike hung the phone up. In two seconds he was in the living room where Clem and Raven were watching a movie. “Clem, there’s trouble. I have to go find the girls. Lock the house down, get Elijah, move to the center of the house, Raven use whatever magic you have to protect yourselves. Help is on the way.”

Then he was gone, the scared expressions on his family faces would have to be dealt with later, Buffy was in trouble. And with her was Faith, someone who had become an important part of them.

He was halfway across the backyard when everything changed.

The silence of the night was broken by the sound of a single gunshot.

August 4, 2007 10:15 PM

“So, come on, B, give some info. Are vamps better in bed than humans?”

“Faith, what is your fascination with my sex life?” Buffy flushed slightly but it was from thinking about Spike naked and inside of her rather than from the questions that Faith was throwing at her. It had been five days since Spike and she had made love and she was seriously thinking about just attacking him later.

“Because I don’t have one right now.”

“You could if you wanted. Then you would know if demons are better than humans.” Buffy smirked at the way she had diverted the conversation from her to one about Clem and Faith. Maybe she could get some information on how Faith really felt about Clem.

“I know. I like him a lot. He’s been a really cool friend but there isn’t any attraction on my part. He keeps asking me to play with his ears and I know it’s like this big erogenous zone. Sometimes I think about doing it just to see what would happen.”

“WooHoo, Faith gonna get some demon booty, Faith gonna get some demon booty,” Buffy laughed as Faith started to chase her through the graves.

Then as they rounded a corner they both stopped as their instincts kicked into some sort of danger near them. Immediately they turned back to back as they checked the perimeter around them.

“Buffy, move,” Faith shouted.

They turned to run as a gunshot rang out around them.

August 4, 2007 10:25 PM

Spike froze only for a moment at the sound then was galvanized into action by the force of Buffy’s fear reaching him. It almost knocked him over from the power of it and then the faint odor of blood drifted on the wind.

“No,” he screamed as he ran to find them. He leapt over the wall surrounding their home and, as he ran through the cemetery he heard her, over and over in his head, “I need you, Spike. Help me.” Anger and bloodlust was heavy in the air as he picked up on the presence of at least two other humans.

He never slowed down or took precautions as he ran to find his mate. Another shot rang out and he felt the bullet graze against his flesh. For a brief second he stumbled to his knees and then using his hands pushed off running again. The stench of blood was stronger, almost overpowering, as he followed it toward a crypt. The door had been kicked in and there was a trail of blood over the doorstep leading inside. He stopped for a second, scared to walk inside, scared of what he would find. Slowly, he walked to the doorway, and his eyes met hers. Buffy was safe and he could see her visibly relax at his presence.

She noted the wound in his shoulder and silently asked him if he was all right. He nodded and sank to his knees beside them. Grasping Faith’s hand he told her he was there. The wounded Slayer was cradled in Buffy’s arms while Buffy held her hand over the wound in Faith’s chest but they knew that it wouldn’t do any good from the amount of blood pouring from her.

“I called 911. They are on their way.” Buffy whispered to him.

“They’ll be too late,” Faith rasped out as her body began to tremble from her injuries. “I’m sorry, tell Clem I’m sorry.”

“I will,” Buffy reassured her knowing exactly what Faith meant. That maybe in time the bonds of friendship would have changed his appearance to her. Faith knew that she couldn’t have found anyone else to love her as strongly as Clem had come to in only a few days.

“Take care of each other.” Then Faith’s eyes fluttered shut as the pain and the blood loss took their toll on her.

Buffy leaned forward to kiss her forehead and Faith knew that it was okay to let go. With Spike helping, Buffy laid Faith down on the floor, her head cradled on a jacket. The sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.

Buffy walked outside the crypt with Spike following her. His hand reached to grab her arm to try to keep her safe but Buffy shook him off.

“Listen to me,” she screamed out to the night. “I am going to find you. And I will make you pay. Do you hear me? You are nothing but cowards shooting at unarmed people. There is a special hell for monsters like you and I am going to make sure you find it.”

Spike grabbed her around the waist pulling her to the ground as another bullet whistled over their heads. Buffy trembled beneath him, “Make it stop, Spike. Make it stop.”

“Sir, is she the one injured?” Spike looked up to find them surrounded by paramedics and police officers.

“No, she..Faith is in there.” Spike said as he pointed toward the crypt. He slowly made his way to his feet pulling Buffy up with him. She leaned into him overwhelmed by the events of the last half hour. The stench of Faith’s blood covering her made her want to vomit.

“Miss, I’m sorry but did you see the assailants?”

Buffy shook her head.

“They headed that way. I saw them running.” Spike told them softly. He hadn’t seen them but had followed their scent as they had headed out of the cemetery.

As two of the police officers ran in the direction that Spike had indicated, they heard the sound of people running toward them from the direction of the house. They turned to see who it was and saw Xander, Willow and Giles rapidly approaching them.

“What happened?” Giles frantically asked as he saw the blood that was on both Buffy and Spike.

“Oh, God. Oh, God,” Xander cried as they brought the stretcher out with Faith’s sheet covered body on it. Xander unable to handle the sight turned and only managed a few steps before emptying his stomach on the ground. Willow came over to rub his back as he lost to the emotions that filled him.

Buffy turned and buried her head in Spike’s chest as he softly stroked her hair. He caught the attention of one of the police officers, “Can I take her back to the house? Get her cleaned up and then she can answer any questions you have.”

The officer gave their consent and after making sure they could be found the small group slowly made their way back. No one spoke. All of them were overwhelmed by the knowledge that one of them was gone. When they came through the back door Spike directed Buffy to the downstairs bathroom. “Willow, will you get some clean clothes for us and some towels?”

Willow nodded and hurried off to get the requested items. Spike turned the shower on and began to undress his wife. She was clearly in shock, her small body trembling as she stared blankly at the wall. His hands were gentle as he moved her the way he needed. Then once they were both undressed he pulled her into the shower with him and began to wash her hair.

“Spike, the clothes and towels are out here.” Willow called to him.

“Oh my God, the children, Clem, I have to be there,” Buffy was slowly coming back to reality as she stepped out of the shower with shampoo dripping from her hair. Spike reached for her waist to pull her back in when Willow took a hold of her, first her shoulders then came to cradle her face so she could get her attention.

“Buffy, they are fine right now. They do need you but they need you cleaned up and strong, okay? It would frighten the children to see you like this. Let Spike finish washing you and then you can see everybody.” Willow firmly told her.

Buffy blinked back a few tears and let Spike pull her back into the shower. Willow stayed and dried the floor while Spike took care of her friend. When he had finished shampooing and washing her, he helped her out of the stall so he could get cleaned up. He hurried through the motions while listening to Willow helping Buffy dry off and getting dressed.

Willow handed him a towel that he wrapped around his waist. A washcloth pressed to his shoulder where the wound had opened again. Seeing him hurt brought Buffy further out of her shock and she pulled bandages and ointment out of the cabinet. Her hands shook as she cleaned him up and applied the ointment and bandage. Spike sat quietly on the toilet lid with his hand resting on her leg as she took care of him. After he was bandaged he pulled Buffy down onto his lap.

“You going to be able to get through this, Baby? Just be strong for the kids and then later I’ll take care of you,” Spike whispered to her as he hugged her tightly.

She nodded as she reached out for Willow pulling her into their embrace with her face buried against the redhead’s stomach.

“I’ll be fine as long as you two are there. You are both my backbone and always find me when I am lost.”

“That’s right. We always will too.” Willow told her as her arms wrapped around both of them. They stayed like that for a few minutes while Buffy pulled herself together. Then she stood, “Let’s go take care of what needs to be done.”

As she headed for the door, Spike and Willow exchanged a smile at the thought that Buffy was back in control.

They followed her back to the living room where she hesitated momentarily in the doorway. With quick assessment of who was where and who was taken care of she stepped further into the room while the others looked at her. Dawn was there wrapped in Josh’s arms while her eyes held her gratitude that her sister was okay. Anya held Xander against her while Tara sat alone with Jacob on her lap. Kate and Giles stood together leaning against the doorway waiting to help in anyway they could.

Buffy turned and asked Spike softly to stay with the children and Clem. Raven and Elijah were huddled against the demon and none of them were crying yet. The pain of their loss was still too fresh to penetrate their emotions. Elijah looked at them and silently watched his father come toward them.

“Dawn, would you call LA and let Angel know what happened?”

Dawn nodded her head and headed for the phone. Willow returned to sit with Tara as Buffy gestured for the police officer standing just inside the room to follow her into the kitchen.

“Giles, would you join us, please?” She asked the other person who had always been her strength to be with her during the questioning.

The three sat around the table as Buffy answered the officer’s questions while her hand was held between Giles’ larger ones. She told him as much as she could without revealing the demon aspect of the murder. When he had taken all her information he gave her some good news. That they had found an older woman, Penelope Adams, on the street behind the cemetery that had possibly seen the suspects and had given a good description of the car that they drove. Buffy smiled when she recognized the name as one of the Sunnydale Chickies who was in her class. The thought crossed her mind that maybe she should enlist their help in finding these Soldiers since they always seemed to know what was going on in their neighborhoods.

Then with a reassurance that they would do all they could the officer took his leave. Buffy quickly moved to join her family in the living room. The silence and the grief were heavy in the air and she took a seat next to Elijah on the couch. Her arm reached across him, Clem and Raven as Spike reached the other way so that they were all connected.

“Buffy, Angel and the others are on their way,” Dawn informed her sister wishing that she felt comfortable enough again to join the family on the couch. But she didn’t so she turned to huddle against Josh.

“What do we do now?” Anya asked unsure of how to handle this recent tragedy. The memory of that night when Xander and Tara had been shot was heavy in all their thoughts and the wish that this night could have ended as it did that night.

“We keep going. Tomorrow we get up and we start fighting again.” Buffy told Anya and the others in the room.

Slowly the others nodded their agreement. The need to find these Soldiers had been reaffirmed and strengthened by the tragedy forced upon them. But that night they would take the time to reflect and grieve and share.

TBC

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